TV Academy Elects Hayma Washington as New Chairman and CEO

The influential group, most notably behind the annual Primetime Emmy Awards, met Thursday night to vote on a new chairman and CEO - electing Hayma Washington.

Washington will be the Academy's first African-American chairman and CEO. For the last five years, he has served as a governor in the producers branch at the TV Academy. He also earned seven Emmy Awards and a Producers Guild Award for his work as an executive producer for Amazing Race. Washington produces and directs projects under his banner, Screechers Pix. Previously, he served as vice president at Walt Disney Studios.

Washington replaces Bruce Rosenblum. The veteran TV executive, who worked at Warner Bros at the start of his tenure and recently took a top post at the Disney-ABC TV Group, is wrapping up a five-year term as Academy chief. Under Rosenblum, the TV Academy instituted a number of new Emmy rules, introducing new categories and broadening the types of awards give, and constructed a new headquarters in North Hollywood.

"I am honored to have been selected to lead the Academy and look forward to serving our membership alongside the governors, executive committee, Foundation and staff," Washington said in a statement. "This is a time of considerable change for our industry and I am deeply committed to ensuring that the Academy is at the forefront as we move towards a more inclusive future."

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences currently has a membership count north of 20,000. In addition to putting on the Emmy Awards, Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Engineering Emmy Awards and TV Academy Honors, the nonprofit organization works to advance TV arts and sciences and foster creative leadership in the ever-growing industry. Streaming, web-based and other burgeoning forms and vehicles of content now fall under their purview.

Rosenblum's tenure ends in December, at which point Washington will assume his new role.